diff --git a/network.h b/network.h
index b432ccae..f390a5d0 100644
--- a/network.h
+++ b/network.h
@@ -190,12 +190,6 @@ const char *sk_addr_error(SockAddr addr);
  */
 #define sk_set_frozen(s, is_frozen) (((*s)->set_frozen) (s, is_frozen))
 
-/*
- * Call this after an operation that might have tried to send on a
- * socket, to clean up any pending network errors.
- */
-void net_pending_errors(void);
-
 /*
  * Simple wrapper on getservbyname(), needed by ssh.c. Returns the
  * port number, in host byte order (suitable for printf and so on).
diff --git a/unix/gtkwin.c b/unix/gtkwin.c
index 7bc41cc9..59a5c383 100644
--- a/unix/gtkwin.c
+++ b/unix/gtkwin.c
@@ -2843,24 +2843,6 @@ void uxsel_input_remove(int id) {
     gdk_input_remove(id);
 }
 
-int frontend_net_pending_error_idle_id;
-int frontend_got_net_pending_errors = FALSE;
-gboolean frontend_net_pending_errors(gpointer data)
-{
-    net_pending_errors();
-    gtk_idle_remove(frontend_net_pending_error_idle_id);
-    frontend_got_net_pending_errors = FALSE;
-    return FALSE;
-}
-void frontend_net_error_pending(void)
-{
-    if (!frontend_got_net_pending_errors) {
-        frontend_got_net_pending_errors = TRUE;
-        frontend_net_pending_error_idle_id =
-            gtk_idle_add(frontend_net_pending_errors, NULL);
-    }
-}
-
 char *setup_fonts_ucs(struct gui_data *inst)
 {
     int shadowbold = conf_get_int(inst->conf, CONF_shadowbold);
diff --git a/unix/unix.h b/unix/unix.h
index a9f00bf2..c2f9aeb1 100644
--- a/unix/unix.h
+++ b/unix/unix.h
@@ -173,13 +173,6 @@ int init_ucs(struct unicode_data *ucsdata, char *line_codepage,
  */
 void *sk_getxdmdata(void *sock, int *lenp);
 
-/*
- * Function provided by front ends, and called by uxnet.c to indicate
- * that net_pending_errors() would like to be called back when the
- * front end has a spare moment and isn't deep in any other recursion.
- */
-void frontend_net_error_pending(void);
-
 /*
  * General helpful Unix stuff: more helpful version of the FD_SET
  * macro, which also handles maxfd.
diff --git a/unix/uxnet.c b/unix/uxnet.c
index d8460c19..9fc649f7 100644
--- a/unix/uxnet.c
+++ b/unix/uxnet.c
@@ -1025,6 +1025,26 @@ void *sk_getxdmdata(void *sock, int *lenp)
     return buf;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Deal with socket errors detected in try_send().
+ */
+static void socket_error_callback(void *vs)
+{
+    Actual_Socket s = (Actual_Socket)vs;
+
+    /*
+     * Just in case other socket work has caused this socket to vanish
+     * or become somehow non-erroneous before this callback arrived...
+     */
+    if (!find234(sktree, s, NULL) || !s->pending_error)
+        return;
+
+    /*
+     * An error has occurred on this socket. Pass it to the plug.
+     */
+    plug_closing(s->plug, strerror(s->pending_error), s->pending_error, 0);
+}
+
 /*
  * The function which tries to send on a socket once it's deemed
  * writable.
@@ -1073,9 +1093,10 @@ void try_send(Actual_Socket s)
                  */
                 uxsel_tell(s);
                 /*
-                 * Notify the front end that it might want to call us.
+                 * Arrange to be called back from the top level to
+                 * deal with the error condition on this socket.
                  */
-                frontend_net_error_pending();
+                queue_toplevel_callback(socket_error_callback, s);
 		return;
 	    }
 	} else {
@@ -1352,43 +1373,6 @@ static int net_select_result(int fd, int event)
     return 1;
 }
 
-/*
- * Deal with socket errors detected in try_send().
- */
-void net_pending_errors(void)
-{
-    int i;
-    Actual_Socket s;
-
-    /*
-     * This might be a fiddly business, because it's just possible
-     * that handling a pending error on one socket might cause
-     * others to be closed. (I can't think of any reason this might
-     * happen in current SSH implementation, but to maintain
-     * generality of this network layer I'll assume the worst.)
-     * 
-     * So what we'll do is search the socket list for _one_ socket
-     * with a pending error, and then handle it, and then search
-     * the list again _from the beginning_. Repeat until we make a
-     * pass with no socket errors present. That way we are
-     * protected against the socket list changing under our feet.
-     */
-
-    do {
-	for (i = 0; (s = index234(sktree, i)) != NULL; i++) {
-	    if (s->pending_error) {
-		/*
-		 * An error has occurred on this socket. Pass it to the
-		 * plug.
-		 */
-		plug_closing(s->plug, strerror(s->pending_error),
-			     s->pending_error, 0);
-		break;
-	    }
-	}
-    } while (s);
-}
-
 /*
  * Each socket abstraction contains a `void *' private field in
  * which the client can keep state.
diff --git a/unix/uxplink.c b/unix/uxplink.c
index 36f3e2fc..85f91224 100644
--- a/unix/uxplink.c
+++ b/unix/uxplink.c
@@ -1116,8 +1116,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	    back->unthrottle(backhandle, try_output(TRUE));
 	}
 
-        net_pending_errors();
-
         run_toplevel_callbacks();
 
 	if ((!connopen || !back->connected(backhandle)) &&
diff --git a/unix/uxpterm.c b/unix/uxpterm.c
index 6542fbba..1f4f20c2 100644
--- a/unix/uxpterm.c
+++ b/unix/uxpterm.c
@@ -17,16 +17,6 @@ Backend *select_backend(Conf *conf)
     return &pty_backend;
 }
 
-void net_pending_errors(void)
-{
-    /*
-     * Stub version of net_pending_errors(), because gtkwin.c has to
-     * be prepared to call it when linked into PuTTY and therefore we
-     * have to avoid a link failure when linking gtkwin.c in turn into
-     * a non-networked application.
-     */
-}
-
 int cfgbox(Conf *conf)
 {
     /*
diff --git a/windows/window.c b/windows/window.c
index 77e4e9eb..b5a18e5a 100644
--- a/windows/window.c
+++ b/windows/window.c
@@ -874,8 +874,6 @@ int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE inst, HINSTANCE prev, LPSTR cmdline, int show)
 
 	if (pending_netevent)
 	    enact_pending_netevent();
-
-	net_pending_errors();
     }
 
     finished:
@@ -2349,7 +2347,6 @@ static LRESULT CALLBACK WndProc(HWND hwnd, UINT message,
 
 		InvalidateRect(hwnd, NULL, TRUE);
 		reset_window(init_lvl);
-		net_pending_errors();
 
 		conf_free(prev_conf);
 	    }
@@ -2412,7 +2409,6 @@ static LRESULT CALLBACK WndProc(HWND hwnd, UINT message,
 		    break;
 		if (back)
 		    back->special(backhandle, specials[i].code);
-		net_pending_errors();
 	    }
 	}
 	break;
@@ -2705,7 +2701,6 @@ static LRESULT CALLBACK WndProc(HWND hwnd, UINT message,
 	if (WSAGETSELECTEVENT(lParam) != FD_READ)
 	    enact_pending_netevent();
 
-	net_pending_errors();
 	return 0;
       case WM_SETFOCUS:
 	term_set_focus(term, TRUE);
@@ -3087,7 +3082,6 @@ static LRESULT CALLBACK WndProc(HWND hwnd, UINT message,
 		}
 	    }
 	}
-	net_pending_errors();
 	return 0;
       case WM_INPUTLANGCHANGE:
 	/* wParam == Font number */
diff --git a/windows/winnet.c b/windows/winnet.c
index 4fddd72c..00a8290d 100644
--- a/windows/winnet.c
+++ b/windows/winnet.c
@@ -1345,6 +1345,26 @@ static void sk_tcp_close(Socket sock)
     sfree(s);
 }
 
+/*
+ * Deal with socket errors detected in try_send().
+ */
+static void socket_error_callback(void *vs)
+{
+    Actual_Socket s = (Actual_Socket)vs;
+
+    /*
+     * Just in case other socket work has caused this socket to vanish
+     * or become somehow non-erroneous before this callback arrived...
+     */
+    if (!find234(sktree, s, NULL) || !s->pending_error)
+        return;
+
+    /*
+     * An error has occurred on this socket. Pass it to the plug.
+     */
+    plug_closing(s->plug, strerror(s->pending_error), s->pending_error, 0);
+}
+
 /*
  * The function which tries to send on a socket once it's deemed
  * writable.
@@ -1394,6 +1414,7 @@ void try_send(Actual_Socket s)
 		 * plug_closing()) at some suitable future moment.
 		 */
 		s->pending_error = err;
+                queue_toplevel_callback(socket_error_callback, s);
 		return;
 	    } else {
 		/* We're inside the Windows frontend here, so we know
@@ -1666,44 +1687,6 @@ int select_result(WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam)
     return 1;
 }
 
-/*
- * Deal with socket errors detected in try_send().
- */
-void net_pending_errors(void)
-{
-    int i;
-    Actual_Socket s;
-
-    /*
-     * This might be a fiddly business, because it's just possible
-     * that handling a pending error on one socket might cause
-     * others to be closed. (I can't think of any reason this might
-     * happen in current SSH implementation, but to maintain
-     * generality of this network layer I'll assume the worst.)
-     * 
-     * So what we'll do is search the socket list for _one_ socket
-     * with a pending error, and then handle it, and then search
-     * the list again _from the beginning_. Repeat until we make a
-     * pass with no socket errors present. That way we are
-     * protected against the socket list changing under our feet.
-     */
-
-    do {
-	for (i = 0; (s = index234(sktree, i)) != NULL; i++) {
-	    if (s->pending_error) {
-		/*
-		 * An error has occurred on this socket. Pass it to the
-		 * plug.
-		 */
-		plug_closing(s->plug,
-			     winsock_error_string(s->pending_error),
-			     s->pending_error, 0);
-		break;
-	    }
-	}
-    } while (s);
-}
-
 /*
  * Each socket abstraction contains a `void *' private field in
  * which the client can keep state.